Tag: budget

I read a post on Instagram a day or two ago and its stayed with me. Have you ever had that happen? Where you read something and like two or three days later you’re still annoyed by it?

I’m not the kind of person to comment on it and leave my opinion. Mostly because I don’t know this person so I’m sure they don’t care what I have to say, but also because I don’t want to be “troll”. Is that even the right word? I didn’t want to start a stupid argument over something that’s really just a difference of opinion.

Anyway back to the point. I follow the hash tag debtfreecommunity. I’m working on becoming debt free and want a better financial future that want is considered normal these days. This post said that they paid off all their debt and they weren’t happy. It was encouraging people to continue to live their lives and not to worry about paying off debt because it wont make you happy to be debt free.

Well no shit Sherlock!

Reason #3 I didn’t comment on the page…I have a lot to say about this!

Of course if you are a super unhappy person and depend on ANYTHING to make you happy, you wont be. Happiness is about perspective and gratitude and is something that you have to work at everyday. To expect that once you get all your debt paid off that angels are going to come sing for you and lift you up on a happiness cloud is ridiculous. YOU have to make yourself happy.

We are working our bums off to get out of debt and we really aren’t even in that bad! I can tell you when my car is paid off I will be the one singing and dancing and celebrating because I really will be so happy! Am I relying on it for my total happiness? Absolutely not! But its going to be a major bonus!

I’m also pretty dang happy with where we are now. We both make decent money and I was fortunate enough to have a job that let me come back an extra day occasionally. I am blessed to be able to teach Les Mills classes and get paid to work out. I’m happy that I get to spend time with my family and have great friends who understand when I say “No I can’t come out tonight I didn’t budget for it”.

That’s the magic word and I think that’s what this Instagram user had a problem with. If I had to guess anyway. I don’t know this person.

Getting out of debt is hard. You have to say no to things you want to do and things you really could afford. Depending on how you look at being able to afford things.

If you are using a credit card in the process we are in now you can’t afford it. For some people that doesn’t matter and good for you. I don’t have a problem with that cause its not my business. People use them then pay off the balance each month. I’d want to be able to pay cash for everything.

I can tell you that as of now I’m enjoying budgeting every paycheck down to the dollar and knowing what we can and can’t do. I get super excited when I budget and put money in savings or get to throw an extra $100 at the credit card or soon to be just my car payment. I love watching those balances drop!

Everyone is different just like every budget and financial goal is different. I just didn’t appreciate this person posting and discouraging people to become debt free. Its hard enough when we are all trying to stay positive and encourage each other. I don’t need the negative Nancy out there making things harder.

So to everyone on a budget with a goal just know you can do this! It will be worth it because you are worth it. You deserve the money you work for and shouldn’t have to give it away!

This is every single week day of our lives. Welcome to marriage I’m told.

So I’m on a mission to find what works for us. What will prevent that text message every morning from coming in? Or what will change it to a thinking of you text or an I love you message? I’m guessing changing dinner won’t do that but hey a girl can try.

First we tried Hello Fresh. It was good. Super easy to use I really enjoyed the first week. I let Pat pick what we were getting because he’s pickier than Rylan our 3 year old. Well close anyway. He liked it to but was not sold on spending the money. I feel it was a good deal and we spent less money on food that would go bad later.

Second we tried Sun Basket. I said we didn’t I? I meant I. My mom and I tried one of the meals and I did one on my own. I know my husband. That’s a solid no on SunBasket for him. To me it seemed healthier than Hello Fresh. The options are all healthier. I did choose gluten-free so I’m not sure if there’s a normal people diet on there or not that Pat might like better but I don’t care enough to check. Cancel that one too.

I haven’t tried any other subscription mail delivery ones. The next adventure now that we will be home for a while is PrepDish.

Here’s what Prep Dish is. Its meal planning and prep for the lazy girl (that’s me). They give you 4 dinners, a side, breakfast, and a snack and desert. They give the meal plan, the grocery list, a day of prep for the meals for the week and the menu. Everything my friend Shelley and other fitness people do all on their own. Like adults.

I apparently need someone to do it for me.

Pat does most of the cooking in our house. I know score right?! So while I put a lot stress on the situation it really isn’t that bad. Also he’s super easy-going so I’m being dramatic on the whole thing. But it would be nice to have control on this weight loss journey of mine. I don’t think I’ve talked seriously about it but I’m trying to get my weight down. So on top a meal service having to be husband and toddler friendly it has to be mommy weight-loss friendly. I’m losing sight of the point to this post.

I got two free weeks of Prep Dish so we will see how this goes. I’m going to give it a try. I like it because I want to grocery shop and have the prep I just don’t want to plan. This way we have the planning and Pat and I can make adjustments so we will all be happy. I have extremely high hopes for this. If this doesn’t work I’m going to have to call in Shelley do help me and just pay her to even grocery shop for me.

Back up plan number 8… move in with Shelley and pay her rent.

If anyone has any other suggestions that’s not a meal delivery service I’m open to trying it.

I’m a typical girl. I like clothes. I liked clothes better when I was a size 2, but that’s besides the point. I still love clothes but at my current size I like black, slimming clothes that look good over spanx.

When I was in high school that was my favorite thing to do with my mom. Not just because she paid. Although now that I’m on a budget its a major bonus when mom offers to take me shopping.

My grandma is a clothes whore too. We’ve established that’s where we get it. Nana buys a new outfit for every event no matter how small and its carried on with my mom, me, and now with my daughter. Nana buys Rylan a new outfit for everything and its wonderful.

I still love clothes and for a long time I’ve struggled with wanting to look cute and refusing to buy larger clothes. I’m still working on myself, but for the time being I’ve decided to try out a capsule wardrobe.

I love the idea of knowing everything in my closet looks good together and looks good on me. It also fits in perfect with my new quest for minimalism. So let the journey begin!

Here’s the thing I’m running into. I don’t know where to start. I can pin capsule wardrobe pins all day long but unless one of them is going to send me the whole wardrobe for free I’m stuck with just looking at the pins for ideas.

I look at my closet and am so overwhelmed. I have clothes everywhere and I don’t know what fits and what doesn’t and why nothing matches. Which means I just wear the same thing over and over again. By the same thing… I mean workout clothes. While I do try to work out as often as possible wearing workout clothes daily is for sure false advertising.

So I’ve decided to start small. Currently I’m going through everything I own. I’ve thrown out everything I know doesn’t fit, (like the size 23 inch waist jeans, are you freaking kidding me?! I didn’t fit in those before I had Rylan!) and am wearing pieces one by one and putting them in a separate section of my closet.

My thought process is I want versatile things I know fit and look good on me. Those pieces stay. Anything else gets send to Thred Up or thrown away.

I’m choosing to wear it for a full day before deciding if it gets to stay because you just never know. I look at pieces in my closet and think “yes I’ll wear that it looks good” then I wear it and halfway through the day remember that it rides up and I hate it, or that it’s not comfortable when I’m holding Rylan or chasing her around. Or the worst, when it looks good at home but then I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror or store window and thing “holy crap, that’s the definition of a mom outfit” before realizing its ME. Those get tossed out. Immediately.

From there once I have my base I’ll start purchasing good quality things I know will fit and will make multiple outfits. I’m really looking forward to being able to put any outfit in my closet together and know it till fit and look good.

While on a budget I’ll be crazy selective in what I purchase. But I’ve also decided that once I get the basics down I’ll restart doing stitch fix occasionally. I loved doing it before but have stopped because I cancelled ALL subscriptions while we are getting out of debt.

But a girl needs clothes! So this is an added journey to go along with the minimalism quest. Wish me luck!